Academician Symposium on Science and Technology Supporting Xinjiang's Oil and Gas Industry and Announcement of Huairou Lab Xinjiang Base Leadership Roles

On April 8th, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region convened a meeting in Urumqi to announce the appointments of the leadership at the Huairou Lab Xinjiang Base (Xinjiang Institute). The meeting also featured presentations by several academicians focusing on how science and technology can bolster the development of Xinjiang's oil and gas industry. The experts provided suggestions to help Xinjiang leverage its resource potential, accelerate the growth of its oil and gas sector, and contribute more effectively to national energy security, while promoting high-quality regional development. Ma Xingrui, Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee; Academician Tang Guangfu, Director of Huairou Laboratory; and Zhang Daowei, Vice President of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), attended the symposium and delivered speeches.

The meeting was presided over by Erkin Tuniyaz, Chairman of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Zhang Zhu, Deputy Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee, along with Wang Li, Deputy Secretary-General of Huairou Laboratory, read out the appointment documents for the new leadership at the Xinjiang Base (Xinjiang Institute).

Insightful presentations were delivered by CAS and CAE academicians Yuan Shiyi, Sun Huanquan, Xu Chunming, Huang Weihe, Zou Caineng, Xie Heping, Sun Jinsheng, Zhao Wenzhi, Hao Fang, Li Gensheng, Zhang Shuichang, Liu He, Peng Suping, and Sun Longde, respectively. They thoroughly analyzed the current state of national oil and gas supply, the advantages and prospects of Xinjiang's oil and gas industry, and emphasized that Xinjiang serves as a strategic channel for China's oil and gas resources, acting as the main force in stabilizing oil and increasing gas production across the nation. The autonomous region holds a critical position in ensuring national energy security and promoting the development of the energy industry, they said. Drawing on their expertise in respective fields, the academicians discussed techniques and engineering practices pertinent to oil and gas exploration and development. They proposed pragmatic recommendations including enhancing efforts to increase oil and gas reserves and production in Xinjiang, promoting low-carbon and smart energy development, leveraging the role of the Huairou Lab Xinjiang Base, establishing a deep-level oil and gas innovation hub, intensifying the utilization of Xinjiang's coalbed methane resources, and constructing a digital and intelligent oil and gas basin.

Tang Guangfu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of Huairou Laboratory, and Zhang Daowei, Vice President of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), both addressed the meeting. They emphasized that the Xinjiang Base of Huairou Laboratory bears the significant responsibility of building a strategic scientific and technological force in the oil and gas sector at the national level, playing a crucial role in safeguarding national energy security. Soon after its inauguration, the Xinjiang Base embarked on various initiatives, and now it has entered a new phase of development. The three parties will now proceed to implement the framework agreement for jointly building the Huairou Laboratory Xinjiang Base. They will pinpoint the base's role accurately and fully leverage the strengths of both Huairou Laboratory and CNPC. By concentrating on key tasks such as ultra-deep oil and gas exploration and development, they will intensify scientific research breakthroughs and expedite the transformation of research outcomes into practical applications. This will better serve the overall national energy supply and contribute to high-quality development in Xinjiang.

In his speech, Secretary Ma Xingrui expressed gratitude to Huairou Laboratory, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and all the academicians and experts for their support and assistance in Xinjiang's science and technology innovation and development of the oil and gas industry. He stressed that Xinjiang shoulders a significant political responsibility in ensuring national energy security, and the Huairou Lab Xinjiang Base plays a vital role with great potential in this respect. It is imperative to keep the big picture in mind, deeply understand the strategic, economic, and scientific significance of building the Huairou Lab Xinjiang Base, accurately identify directions, leverage advantages, take proactive measures, and forge a new engine for scientific and technological innovation in Xinjiang's oil and gas sector, he noted. It is essential to genuinely harness the leading role of science and technology innovation, accelerate the growth of Xinjiang's oil and gas production and processing industrial cluster, assist in the construction of a modern industrial system that reflects the autonomous region's characteristics and strengths, promote high-quality industrial development and advance the modernization of Xinjiang in a Chinese way.

Attending the meeting were Li Yifei, Deputy Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee; He Zhongyou, Deputy Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee; Chen Weijun, Executive Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region; Hadan Kabin, member of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee; Xue Bin and Kaisaer Abdurekemu, Vice Chairmen of the Autonomous Region; relevant personnel from Huairou Laboratory, the Xinjiang Base, and CNPC; representatives from relevant departments of the autonomous region and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; and representatives from central government units and enterprises stationed in Xinjiang.